Though the King-Over-All was wise and loving, he knew His daughter, and he knew that her heart was set to have her way. His only request was that Princess Zoey choose her prince from a pool of suitors He would provide. Knowing that she had “free will,” and believing that He would give her everything she wanted, Zoey hastily agreed to let her Father the King chose her prince. The King sent forth a decree, calling far and wide for a suitable prince for the princess.
Eligible princes came far and wide to win the hand of the princess, attracted by both her beauty and her dowry, the Land of Something Small. Although the land was as small as the name implied, it was fertile, rich, and extremely beautiful. It was filled with strong servants and loving tenants, and each treated others with great respect while tending the portion of land for which they were responsible. This was not the case with many of the other small kingdoms and fiefdoms of the day.
The King-Over-All found several eligible princes He felt would both suit his daughter and take good care of the Land of Something Small. However, even though the princess had promised the King-Over-All she would choose from his candidates, she just didn’t care for any of his selections.
“Daddy,” she wined. “Prince Jason has a long nose. I do not wish my sons and daughters to have long noses.” She wrinkled up hers, a cute little button, for effect.
“Though his nose is long, Prince Jason will strive long into the evening to provide for his family. His love and faithful provision are his most attractive attributes. However, if you do not wish to have Prince Jason as your husband, you do not have to marry him. I have given you free will in this matter.” The King-Over-All sent out His most trusted advisor to tell the prince that he was not chosen this time.
Then Prince Cameron came into the courtyard where the princess and the King-Over-All were reviewing the candidates.
“Daddy,” whined the Princess, “Prince Cameron is just so short. I do not wish my sons and daughters to be short. I wish them to be tall and elegant like the trees.”
“Even though he is short, Prince Cameron is not short on patience. I have seen him negotiate challenging situations, and make wise and sound decisions. However, if you do not wish to have Prince Jason as your husband, you do not have to marry him. I have given you free will in this matter.” The King-Over-All sent out His most trusted advisor to tell the prince that he was not chosen this time.
Then Prince Jeremy came into the courtyard where the princess and the King were waiting for him.
“Daddy,” whined the Princess, “I do not actually see anything wrong with Prince Jeremy, but I am not attracted to him at all. He is fair and pleasant, but I like dark and brooding.”
“Princess, we do not have anyone in the kingdom that is dark. Darkness belongs on the outer realm of the kingdom. Light and dark cannot live in harmony. I cannot allow you to marry someone that is dark and brooding.”
“But Daddy,” whined the Princess. “You said that I have free will. You said that I may choose the one I wish to marry.”
“It is true that you have free will, my beloved Princess Zoey, but you promised to pick from those I provided. Here are three different subjects, all men that are true and faithful. I have chosen a prince who works hard for the kingdom, a prince who is kind and gentle, and a prince that is fair and light. Although all are excellent choices, you rejected them all for unimportant reasons. In fact, there was not one thing you saw negative in the last prince other than you were not attracted to him. Perhaps you are not truly ready to be a Queen yet. Could that be?” The King-Over-All’s queries were delivered with gentle authority.
“Oh, no, Daddy! I am ready to be Queen over Something Small. I am ready! I have my dress, my trousseau, my invitations to the ball, all the entertainment scheduled, and even all my beautiful tapestries, ready to be hung in my very own castle. I am ready! I just wish now to choose my own Prince to share the wonderful land that You have given me.”
Taking a deep breath, and being quite certain of her heart, Princess Zoey rushed, “You just don’t know what I need. I am very sorry, Daddy, but I obviously need to go out and find my own prince.” She lifted her quite adorable, but quite stubborn, chin into the air. With an un-ladylike snort, she turned and left the courtyard.
“Come, ladies,” she said to her ladies-in-waiting. “We need to prepare for travel. It is obvious I will not find someone dark and brooding in this kingdom. We must travel to the outer realm, to the kingdoms beyond my Father the King-Over-All’s lands.
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